Qianye’s eyes gradually opened, filmed with red.

’My eyes... what?’ And right as that thought concluded, pain burst throughout his body, and he winced, grimacing deeply.

His eyes blinked rapidly, with the moonlight shimmering through. And his blinking cleared the red a little more, even through his pain squinted eyes.

However, then came the strong, iron smell of blood.

And despite all of that, as his eyes, shone upon by the moonlight coming in through the windows, cleared and he saw the rings around her pupils dimming from light, he caught himself, his expression calming.

She was hardly a metre from him, and her hand was just retreating from touching him.

Qianye’s arm rose swiftly, catching hers and he pulled her into a hug.

As their bodies thud softly together, and the floral scent of her relieved him of his blood’s smell, he heard her hesitate a huff of breath out, as if she had been about to say something.

Without waiting for her to collect herself and say whatever she was going to, Qianye spoke first:

"I would not be alive without you..." he muttered hoarsely, "Thank you..."

He did not know how many times by now he had said it.

She was someone that he hardly knew in person for more than a span of however long had passed since earlier. And all that he could read about her could never compare to a lived experience of her.

It had, in fact been unfaithful to her character.

What better proof of that was his near death?

This elven woman was more than intelligent enough to be suspicious about the changes in his behaviour.

He had only offset it for a short period of time with the fact that they would be separated soon.

However, the fact remained that he knew she was conflicted about his change in attitude because of her sensitivity towards the soul. Additionally to that, after spending so long with someone it wasn’t difficult to tell when something serious changed within them.

The circumstances that he had been transmigrated into had not allowed him to keep up the facade of being Ouyang Qianye.

If he had acted how he would have, he would have been publicly executed.

Despite all of this, she had chosen to reveal one of her deepest secrets to save his life... and very existence.

To someone like that, no matter how many times that he said thank you for this, it would not be enough.

From behind his back, as she felt his arms wrap tightly around her, having pulled her forwards from sitting on her knees, her arms moved hesitantly at first.

Then her eyes blinked away the slightly luminous sheen over themselves, she felt her soul, still reeling and storming from what she had done, call. And she gave in.

Her arms wrapped fully around him as her head adjusted itself. She did not care in the slightest about his blood.

"You are no longer alone," she muttered, and did not say anything more of what she had felt from his soul.

Qianye drew in a brief quivering breath of her hair, laughing faintly into her hair.

Then he sighed a little, faintly feeling the tickle of her breath at his neck. And at the same time, his winces returned to him.

"Please... mind your strength."

Suddenly she jolted herself back from his hug and her arms that had only grown to hug him tighter and tighter as the seconds passed hesitated to even approach him, hovering in the air between them.

"I apologize! I—You must be in such great pain after everything!"

Eventually, she retreated them back to her lap as she put herself back down over the ground.

Qianye only watched her with a tired smile. For a moment his gaze lingered, then he looked across her robe.

Her neck and hair were stained in blood, her bosom as well. His eyes widened gradually, and then his hands raised, touching at his face.

Watching him, her expression gradually sobered into seriousness.

And Qianye’s hand came back from brushing at his face, blood staining down his fingers and onto his palm.

At the sight of it, he only huffed a laughing scoff. His hand lowered to his lap and he glanced down with it. Not seeing the artifact, his brows furrowed.

"When I came to help," he heard her voice, and thus raised his head, "I threw it off of you."

Qianye saw mid way through standing herself up. She strode across the room where she picked the damned thing up.

Then she brought it back to him, and Qianye only briefly held it before putting it aside. With Celosia dead, the artifact itself didn’t pose any risks to him... or at least he hoped.

He definitely wasn’t planning on testing it out any time soon.

After she had passed the thing over to him, he watched her take a seat before him once more, on her knees, and her expression, through slightly hesitant, was patient.

Qianye smiled a little, and he spoke, "You won’t ask?"

"I would not dare to pry into my lords business."

"Hmm," Qianye hummed faintly, laughing a little to himself.

’What an unconvincing response. Your eyes look like if I don’t explain myself you wont let me leave here in one piece...’ He held the thought back from being spoken aloud.

It was never good to stir the emotions of an angry woman. More especially one that had all the means to hurt you in mystical ways that you did not have the knowledge of how to defend against.

Qianye, in his attempts to ease himself of the tension, tried to at least stretch his body a little. His shoulders and back released loud pops, making him grimace sharply at the spikes in pain that they induced.

"How long have I been under?" He asked through a hiss.

"It has been five hours since, master."

’Feels like its been five hundred years...’ Qianye recoiled mentally as he put up a brave, stoic face, one of his hand rising to massage his shoulders.

"Master, you must rest," He paused briefly, as she continued, "matters of the soul are not to be taken lightly." And thereupon, her brows furrowed severely, "I do not know how you ended up in such a state, but even if you might have largely mended the soul collapse, there could easily be lingering fractures that have not been addressed."

He silently watched her for a few moments, then he smiled faintly as his arms fell.

Qianye utterly ignored the cold air that brushed against his scalp, and he leaned himself back against the wall, crossing his arms.

"It seems like I’ve worried you a lot," he muttered. Then, he shook his head, "But don’t worry. Thanks to you, I was able to heal everything."

Her brows furrowed deeper, and there was not the slightest amusement to her countenance as she intoned, "Master, this is no time for recklessness. I am being serious."

"I almost died." Qianye’s visage rapidly lost its smile, "Twice, within the space of a few hours. Do you think I would be speaking lightly after all of this?"

"It is not that I think you are taking it lightly," the sternness in her tone had not eased till then, however, then, she seemed to remember her place, trailing off, "However..."

Qianye waited, and waited, and he watched her not dare to continue saying what she wanted to. And the sight of her hesitations frustrated him to no end.

"Enough with this ’master’ nonsense!"